England and Wales Cricket Director Rob Key has placed emphasis on the use of Kookaburra balls for the domestic season in England. In his interaction with The Guardian, Rob Key said,He feels that the use of Kookaburra balls will help England pacers get better.
Key said that Dukes ball gets a lot of movement, so pacers don’t have that extra skill that is required to get success at the international level.
The former England skipper made several changes in England’s set, which started with the appointment of Coach Brendon McCullum, who brought a drastic change in England’s approach to playing test match cricket.
Key said, “I think it’s been fantastic. You see what four-day cricket is meant to be. I’ve watched quite a bit this week and seen some bloody good cricket. I would use the Kookaburra all the time. English cricket would be much better off for it.”
Key further added, “The weather has got in the way at times, and seven of those nine matches [in round two] could have seen a result. But county cricket is meant to last four days. This week has shown it’s rewarding for the right type of players. Cricket is about watching pace bowlers, spinners, and really good batting. Four days is about the journey.”
Key also said that watching their pace bowlers on slow tracks was a waste of time, and he wants English players to get better by using their pace and bounce.
Speaking about the same, Key said, “The pitches are slow this time of year, but watching medium pacers is a waste of time.” . “Teams need to find quicker bowlers or ones who will force a wicket. You can’t just keep running up and bowling at 75mph. And in terms of those guys who are not expressive, you really work out who can bowl. Sam Cook, that was seriously impressive what he did.”
